Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between network contractors and technical support engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a network contractor and a technical support engineer. Additionally, a technical support engineer has an average salary of $85,716, which is higher than the $55,845 average annual salary of a network contractor.
The top three skills for a network contractor include customer service, service calls and provider network. The most important skills for a technical support engineer are technical support, customer service, and troubleshoot.
| Network Contractor | Technical Support Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $55,845 | $85,716 |
| Hourly rate | $26.85 | $41.21 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 45,116 | 184,542 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Average age | 43 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Network contractors are information technology (IT) professionals who accept contracts from clients to provide materials and labor to perform tasks related to installing and maintaining network systems. These contractors must coordinate network security systems to deliver the efficiency of their clients' network systems. They must develop and maintain business relationships with providers to ensure proper network composition. They need to provide end-user training on network systems to maximize operator efficiency and increase speed. Network contractors should also assist their clients in the operation, restoration, and configuration of computer systems.
A technical support engineer is responsible for responding to customer issues, providing immediate resolutions to their system issues through remote assistance. Technical support engineers must have strong knowledge of software and hardware applications to diagnose system defects and process troubleshooting. They also assist customers with the installation of programs and updates to improve system performance, escalating high-level concerns to appropriate internal technology teams. A technical support engineer must have strong command with technical systems, as well as excellent communication and time-management skills to understand clients' issues while documenting procedures.
Network contractors and technical support engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Network Contractor | Technical Support Engineer | |
| Average salary | $55,845 | $85,716 |
| Salary range | Between $39,000 And $79,000 | Between $61,000 And $119,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | Washington |
| Best paying company | - | Meta |
| Best paying industry | - | Technology |
There are a few differences between a network contractor and a technical support engineer in terms of educational background:
| Network Contractor | Technical Support Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Most common major | Business | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between network contractors' and technical support engineers' demographics:
| Network Contractor | Technical Support Engineer | |
| Average age | 43 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 75.5% Female, 24.5% | Male, 83.3% Female, 16.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.9% Asian, 8.7% White, 63.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 9.8% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 15.0% White, 54.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 11% |